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Biobehavioral Indices of Emotion Regulation Relate to School Attitudes, Motivation, and Behavior Problems in a Low‐Income Preschool Sample
Author(s) -
MILLER ALISON L.,
SEIFER RONALD,
STROUD LAURA,
SHEINKOPF STEPHEN J.,
DICKSTEIN SUSAN
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1196/annals.1376.043
Subject(s) - psychology , vagal tone , developmental psychology , heart rate variability , session (web analytics) , reactivity (psychology) , heart rate , clinical psychology , medicine , endocrinology , alternative medicine , pathology , world wide web , computer science , blood pressure
Effective emotion regulation may promote resilience and preschool classroom adjustment by supporting adaptive peer interactions and engagement in learning activities. We investigated how hypothalamus‐pituitary‐adrenal axis (HPA) regulation, cardiac reactivity, and classroom emotion displays related to adjustment among low‐income preschoolers attending Head Start. A total of 62 four‐year‐olds completed a laboratory session including a baseline soothing video; emotion‐eliciting slides/video clips, and recovery. Salivary cortisol, heart rate, and vagal tone were measured throughout. Independent coders used handheld computers to observe classroom emotion expression/regulation. Teachers rated child motivation, persistence/attention, learning attitudes, and internalizing/externalizing symptoms. Results reveal associations between biobehavioral markers of regulatory capacity and early school adjustment.